This is why you need to put your eye cream on your lips

There are some ups and downs when it comes to ageing: Wisdom and jomo are clear ups, while gravity reckoning havoc on your body parts, sadly, is a massive down.

As we age our lips get thinner (sorry Kylie Jenner) and ‘smoker lines’ can appear – even if you’ve never smoked - from things like puckering, drinking out of straws, chewing your lips and even applying lip balm!?!

“Lips age for two reasons,” explains aesthetic skin practitioner Sarah Hudson. “The skin on the lips dries out, leading to fine lines of dryness. Plus, around the outside of our lips the muscle is continually moving, so like the eye area it is important to keep the collagen in the skin strong. The skin on the lips often becomes dry due to long-lasting lipsticks and continual application of lip gloss.”

Eleanor Pendleton's beauty routine for glowing skin4:30

So what can we do to conquer this tell-tale sign of ageing?

The answer, according to Hudson, lies in the eyes… well in your eye cream.

“Eye creams are generally formulated with peptides to stimulate collagen production, plus hydrating and firming ingredients perfect for the lip area,” she says.

“The eye and lip area not only age the fastest, due to the breakdown of collagen from continual movement, they also lack in oil glands, which is why it makes sense to use your eye cream for both the eye and lip area.”

So what’s the best way to apply it? Sarah has a fool-proof routine:

Remove all lipstick at night with a cleanser. Even though you mightn’t see it, reside is left on your lips after wearing lipstick that can prevent creams penetrating into the skin, leading to drier lips. You don’t need to use a separate cleanser: either use your eye make-up remover or face cleanser, just make a conscious effort to ensure it’s removed.

Gently exfoliate your lips two to three times a week to remove dead cells which will lead to a smoother, softer and plumper appearance. Moisturiser will be more effective at stopping lip dryness.

Use serums that contain ingredients like vitamin A and C that help to stimulate the production of collagen, resulting in firmer skin texture with less fine lines.

Ask if your professional anti-ageing treatments can include the lip area. I love RF micro-needling for the lip area to stimulating collagen deeper in the skin, while topical ingredients found in eye creams can stimulate collagen in the upper skin.